Car-coupling



(No Model.)

S. B. DOVER. GAR COUPLING.

No. 459,960. Patented Sept. 22,1891

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UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. DOVER, OF ADAIRSVILLE, GEORGIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,960, datedSeptember 22, 1891.

Application filed May 16, 1891. Serial No. 393,025. No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. DOVER, of Adairsville, in the county ofBarton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichform part of this specification.

My invention' relates to an improvement in automatic car-couplings; andit consists in the d raw-head having a suitable slotted guide or guidesformed upon its top, combined with a coupling-pin having an enlargedflattened upper portion, which is provided with a flange, and aspring-actuated catch or support for the pin that is operated by themovement of the draw-head when the cars run together, as will be morefully described hereinafter.

The object of myinvention is to provide an automatic car-coupling inwhich the vertically-moving pin is tripped when the cars run together bythe backward movement of the draw-head, and thus prevent all necessityfor the brakeman having to venture between the cars for the purpose ofcoupling them, and thus risking both life and limb.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a draw-head which embodies my invention,a portion of the guide being removed for the purpose of showing theflange upon the pin. Fig. 2 is a front elevation ofvthe same. Fig. 3 isa plan view of the coupling complete.

A represents the draw-head, which has a slot made through its topsufficiently large for the coupling-pin to play freely through, andrising from the top of this draw-head are the two guides B, betweenwhich the couplingpin 0 moves. These guides will be cast as a part ofthe draw-head or may be secured thereto in any suitable manner. Throughtheir front side is formed a slot, so as to allow theflange D upon thepin 0 to freely move therein as the pin is being raised and lowered forthe purpose of coupling and uncoupling the cars. This pin 0 consists ofthe ordinary pin which passes through the link and which has a wide flathead which fits in or between the guide, and which flat head both servesas a weight to cause the pin to act more quickly and at the same time tomake the pin move straight when it is tripped. If an ordinarycoupling-pin were used, it could not be so readily guided in itsmovements, and therefore I prefer to use an enlarged head upon the pin,so that it can be guided and made to always move accurately. Formed uponthe lower front corner of this flat head is a flange D, which projectsforward through the slot in the front of the guide, so as to catch upona spring-catch or support that is provided for this purpose.

Projecting from opposite sides of the guide or guides B are staples I,which serve as guides through which the frame J passes, and which framehas formed upon its front end a catch or support for the pin. This catchor support extends into the larger portion of the slot, so that wheneverthe pin is raised snfliciently to bring the flange above the top of thecatch the flange catches thereon and holds the pin in a raised position.

Placed between the rear side of the guide or guides and the inner sideof the rear end of the frame J is a pin L, which serves to keep thefront end of the frame J forced backward, so that the catch or support,when left free to move, will always enter the slot and be ready for theflange upon the pin to catch upon it.

Extending from the rear end of the. frame J and through a suitable guide0, that is cast with or secured to the rear end of the drawhead, is apush-rod P, which, when the coupling-head is forced backward when thecars run together, forces the frame J forward, so as to withdraw thecatch or support from under the flange upon the pin, and then the pindrops from its own gravity.

Secured to the rear end of the draw-head in any suitable manner is thesupport V,

pin. To the arm may be attached a cord, wire, or chain, which extends tothe top of the car and by means of which the pin can be raised from itspoint, if so desired. By means of this lever the pin can be raisedWhenever desired and without the brakeman having to venture between thecars to couple or uncouple them. YVhen the cars run together, the forceof the concussion always forces the draw-heads backward to a greater orless distance, and as the draw-head is forced backward the push-pinprevents the frame Jfrom moving back with it, and hence the support orcatch is moved from under the flange, and then the pin drops through thelink of the adjoining car. Should it not be desired that the cars shouldcouple, the pin is dropped, and then the link of the adjoining carstrikes against its front edge. The pin being wide and flat at the pointwhere the link strikes, it will not be injured thereby.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a car-coupling, aguide having a slotted front face, a pin having a vertical rib whichtravels in said slot, stop D, extending outward from the rib, ahorizontally-moving frame surrounding the guide, a projection on thefront of the said frame which engages the stop D, and the extension P onthe rear end of the frame, the parts being combined to operatesubstantially as shown and described.

2. In a car-coupling, a Vertical slotted guide, a flanged pin, ahorizontally-moving frame surrounding the guide, a projection on thesaid frame which engages the flange on the pin, a coiled spring arrangedbetween the said vertical guide and the inner end of the frame, and theprojection P, the parts being combined to operate substantially as shownand described.

3. The draw-head having a slotted guide or guides formed upon its top,combined with a flat-headed pin having a flange formed upon its frontedge, and which flange projects into the slot in the guide, theendwise-moving Springactuated frame provided with a catch or support atits front end, a guide formed upon the rear end of the draw-head, apushrod secured to the frame and passing through the guide, the supportsecured to the drawhead, and the operating-lever provided with an armfor raising the pin, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL B. DOVER.

\Vitnesses:

G. B. ELROD, M. L. MORELAND.

